Assessment

Task

You are European consultancy firm who has a number of global offices, with your main head office in Switzerland. You have been approached by an external European client who is looking to diversify into the youth fashion market (male & female related apparel, in the 20-25 age range).  Of interest to your client is the manner by which social media platforms can be used in an attempt to aid relationship development with a business to consumer relationship, within the context of the youth fashion market. In addition, the client is also considering developing a number of related global supply chains and requires information related to the importance of ethically informed and sustainable practices, akin to sourcing materials for clothes and ethically informed manufacturing practices.

You are tasked with producing a 3,000-word individual report that addresses the following:

1. The role of social media platforms as mechanism to enhance communications with external customers and how social media platforms can be employed to aid relationship development within a business to consumer relationship arena, with reference to apparel industries (40%).

2. A discussion of how private sector fashion enterprises can ensure that all global supply chain activities adhere to business practices that are clean, ethically informed and sustainable, also not forgetting the importance of being legally compliant with all operational practices associated with workers’ rights within the fashion / apparel supply chain industries. (40%).

3. Recommendations as to the direction in which the external client may want to develop (10%).

4. Referencing and adhering to good academic writing practices (10%).

Assessed intended learning outcomes   On successful completion of this assessment, you will be able to:   Knowledge and Understanding   1. To critically appreciate how social media can be used in developing relationships in the business to consumer sector.   2. To demonstrate an in-depth understanding of the critical nature and meaning of global supply chain management and its application across a range of organisations and sectors internationally.   3. To recognise and implement responsible and sustainable approaches to supply chain management.     Practical, Professional or Subject Specific Skills   Enhance and apply planning, organising, decision-making and time management skills appropriate for use in an organisational context.   Experiment and develop personal initiative and responsibility in undertaking complex investigations in the solving of organisational problems and issues.       Transferable Skills and other Attributes   1. Critically analyse and apply key ideas and concepts via comprehensive research relevant both to the subject area and to professional practice in the field.   2. Use terminology associated with the subject area accurately and in a way which demonstrates sophisticated knowledge and understanding.   3. Develop and enhance individually and/or collaboratively effective written and/or oral communication skills for both specialist and non-specialist audiences

Module Aims   1. To enable students to develop an in-depth understanding of relationships with a variety of international stakeholders. 2. To provide an overview of culture as a basis on which to develop the themes of international marketing communications and business relationship development in the business-to-business sector. 3. To critically appreciate how social media can be used in developing relationships in the business to consumer sector. 4. To enable students to develop an in-depth understanding of the critical nature and meaning of global supply chain management and its application across a range of organisations and sectors internationally. 5. To enable students to recognise and implement responsible and sustainable approaches to supply chain management.

SAMPLE SOLUTION

Communication is one of the greatest enablers of business. The relationship between business players and their clients will determine the business’s direction and how competitive it will be in any given industry. Communication in this regard is defined as the flow of accurate information to the intended audience, using appropriate channels, and carrying the correct message at a proper time. The channel chosen for communication will either strengthen or weaken the relationship with clients (Hsiao, Wang, Wang & Kao, 2020). Social media has emerged as one of the common modes of communication, especially for the youthful population.

The growth of new digital media platforms in the 21^st century has resulted in a shift in the way businesses engage with their clients. According to a study carried out by Busby et al. (2010), most marketing executives are set to spend a bigger percentage of their marketing campaign budgets on social media, especially in the coming years. One of the newest ways of using social media is through microblogging using Twitter, which continues to gain prominence, especially for business corporates. Other social media platforms that business players use include Facebook, LinkedIn, use of Blogs, and YouTube. Besides many other advantages, social media has become a common platform due to the many features like video demonstration and one on one engagement with clients without necessarily requiring their physical presence (Paramitasari, Siregar & Halim, 2020). According to Muniesa & Giménez (2020), 71% of…